So I work hard to present the human side of my characters while not neglecting the plot.

Robert Rotenberg does for Toronto what Ian Rankin does for Edinburgh.

I spend eight months outlining and researching the novel before I begin to write a single word of the prose.

When you work alone, you need to socialize at some level.

It means working harder to do the research but I don't really mind - I don't think I have what it takes to chase criminals through back alleys and wade through blood at crime scenes.

I've often said that there's no such thing as writer's block, the problem is idea block

When it comes time to write the book itself I'll shut the lights out, picture the scene I'm about to write then close my eyes and go at it. Yes, I can touch type.